


Cookies Don't Lie

by Bat_Crap_Crazy



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: Au Holiday, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:56:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bat_Crap_Crazy/pseuds/Bat_Crap_Crazy





	Cookies Don't Lie

 

            Frankie was awakened by his doorbell being pushed rapidly, followed by harsh pounding on the door. He jumped out of bed and took off at a run, tying the belt on his robe and having to zigzag around his dog who was trying to get to the door first. Frankie reasoned that it must be some kind of emergency for someone to be so frantically trying to get a response.

            The pounding had stopped by the time he reached the door and the doorbell had resumed. Frankie picked up his dog, threw open the door and found a stranger standing there. He was in a thin jacket despite the freezing temperatures and snowflakes were sticking to his hair. The man grinned at Frankie.

            “Hey! That’s a cute dog! You’re not Darlene! Where is she?” the man’s words were slurred and Frankie determined immediately that he was extremely drunk.

            Frankie gathered his robe closer to his body in response to the cold air; he stroked his dog’s head to get him to calm down and stop barking at the intruder. “Darlene? Sorry, there’s no Darlene here. I don’t think I’ve even heard of a Darlene in the neighborhood,” Frankie answered.

            “Charlene? Or maybe it was Marlene? I don’t remember,” the man frowned in concentration.

            Frankie shook his head in exasperation, “None of those names are familiar. Sorry I can’t help you.” He moved to shut the door and then stopped and looked back out. “You’re not driving are you?”

            “No, I was with friends. They dropped me here. Troy said she lived here and I have to find her!”

            Frankie could hear his grandfather clock in the living room beginning to play the tune indicating it was about to announce the hour.

            “Hey! What’s that?” the man asked excitedly, pushing past Frankie and hurrying to the clock.

            Frankie was shocked by the nerve of the strange man. He left the door open, even though the wind was howling through it, fully intending to capture the guy and hustle him right back out.

            The man was standing in front of Frankie’s clock, grinning with glee. He turned to face Frankie as the clock began to strike midnight. “Bong! Bong! Bong!” he echoed each chime.

            Frankie smiled in spite of himself. “I take it you like my clock. I just recently received it and I’m still not used to the chimes. It belonged to my grandmother.”

            The man’s face fell and assumed an expression of remorse. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

            “What? Oh, no!” Frankie laughed, “She’s fine! She just redecorated. I wanted the clock because it reminded me of times I stayed at her house as a little boy. There is a difference in a large home and a small apartment though. At her house I could barely hear it, but here it seems like it is screaming at me. I’m not sure if I will be able to keep it.”

            “You have to! It is wonderful!” the man said, grabbing Frankie by the arm and squeezing it. Causing the little dog in Frankie’s arms to growl deep in his chest.

            Frankie laughed and extracted his arm from the man’s hand. “Fine! I will give it a bit longer and see if I can get used to it. Now if you don’t mind…” Frankie said, indicating the door.

            “What’s his name?” the man asked.

            “Who? Oh, the dog? His name is Killer,” Frankie answered.

            The man threw back his head a laughed loudly. “‘Killer’? He looks more like a kitten then a killer! Maybe when he grows up…”

            “He is fully grown. He is a Bichon Frise and this is the size he is supposed to be.”

            “I like his face,” the man said with a grin, and then he looked around the room, noticing the fire in the electric fireplace and the Christmas tree with all its lights and decorations that Frankie had spent most of the day working on getting just right. “Your place is really nice. I like it here.” He suddenly grabbed his mouth. “Feel sick!”

            Frankie looked hastily at the front door and immediately judged the bathroom was closer. He opened the door to the bathroom and shoved the man inside. The man reached the toilet just in time.

            As the man was vomiting, Frankie placed Killer down on the floor and got a wash cloth out of the cabinet and ran cold water on it. He wrung it out and placed it on the back of the man’s neck. “Don’t fight it. Let it all out,” he soothed.

            He left the bathroom and hurried to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator and his bottle of Advil and started back. He stopped in the living room and closed the front door before continuing on to the bathroom.

            When he entered he saw the man was sitting down, leaning his back against the bathtub. He had the wash cloth over his face and was petting Killer who had snuggled up next to him.

            “Better now?” Frankie asked, noticing with gratitude that the man had the presence of mind to have flushed the toilet.

            “I don’t know. A bit, I guess,” he mumbled from behind the wash cloth.

            “Here, I brought you in some water and some Advil. They might help fight off a hangover, or at least make it not quite so bad.”

            The man lowered the wash cloth and held out his hand.

            “I think you should try sipping some water first and see if it stays down. No sense taking the Advil just to have it come right back up,” Frankie suggested.

            The man nodded and took one of the bottles. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip. “I’m really sorry about this,” he mumbled.

            Frankie shrugged. “I think we have all been there at one time or another. That is one of the reasons I’m sober now. I don’t ever want to have another night like what you are in for. Not to mention how you are going to feel tomorrow. We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Frankie.”

            The man nodded, “Zach,” he supplied.

            Frankie nodded. “So, Zach…who is this Darlene-Charlene-Marlene person you are looking for? Do you know her last name? Maybe if we had that we could locate her for you.”

            Zach shrugged and took another sip from the water bottle. “I don’t know her last name.”

            “Okay then, um…what does she look like?”

            “She’s…I don’t know. Shorter than me. She has hair…not sure the color. Or the length. I think she was wearing a yellow shirt…maybe. I don’t remember now. I just know I have to find her!”

            Frankie blinked in confusion. “You know nothing about her, but you have to find her? Why?”

            Zach sighed. “I was out with some friends, celebrating the season… you know? My friend Troy’s cousin Benny came into town for the weekend and he is leaving early in the morning so we decided to grab some Chinese food. I know this little place, it’s not mainstream, but their food is amazing. Anyway, someone—I think it was Robert—had this idea that we should drink some rice wine, I think it is called ‘Bajiu’. When we ordered it, the owner brought the bottle and glasses to the table and told us how it is traditionally drunk. Can’t sip it, you have to take it by the shot. You have to show your glass is empty after each shot. Benny, he doesn’t drink so we didn’t have to worry about a designated driver, so I thought, why not? It tasted vile but Troy and Robert didn’t seem to notice. They kept challenging each other and I had to keep up…” Zach shook his head. “I wish I hadn’t.” He scrambled to the toilet again and threw up the water he had just drunk.

            When he was finished he flushed the toilet and then leaned back against the tub again. He was pale and sweaty and Frankie noticed his hands were shaking as he unscrewed his water bottle and took a drink. Killer had scampered away to avoid getting puked on, but was now right back next to Zach.

            “So…Darlene-Charlene-Marlene? How does she fit into the story?” Frankie urged, feeling curious in spite of himself. He sat down on the floor across from Zach.

            “After dinner, we got fortune cookies. Mine said that I would meet the love of my life tonight. Before we left the restaurant, I went to the restroom. When I was going back to the table, I bumped into her. She was leaving the restaurant. I didn’t think anything about it until I returned to the table and saw my fortune from the cookie was still lying beside my plate at the table. I realized it had to have been her that I was supposed to meet. Troy had seen me crash into her, and he said he thought he knew her. He met her in one of his classes a few years ago. So we got into Benny’s car and drove around until Troy said that this apartment complex looked familiar. Then when we finally got to this street, he pointed at your place and said he remembered for certain it was the right one.”

            “I’ve only lived here a few months, but I met the former tenants when they were moving out. An older couple, so definitely not them. I can’t believe you went to all of this trouble because of a fortune cookie.”

            Zach looked deeply into Frankie’s eyes and said forcefully, “Cookies don’t lie! They have nothing to gain.”

            Frankie choked down the desire to laugh at him. “Okay, if that is the case then you might have shot yourself in the foot, so to speak, by chasing after her.”

            Zach frowned, “No I didn’t! What makes you think that?”

            “Well, if I understood the fortune correctly, it said that you would meet the love of your life tonight. That is correct, right?”

            “Yes! That’s what it said. And I told you…” Zach began, before Frankie cut him off.

            “But you didn’t ‘meet’ her. You bumped into her, but you didn’t even speak or introduce yourselves, unless you skipped that part of the story,” Frankie argued.

            “I…” Zach started, but then stopped himself. “But…it had to be, right?”

            “I don’t think so. See, after you bumped into her, you and your friends spent time driving around trying to find her. Right after you arrived here at my door, the clock struck midnight. So technically, it is a new day now.” Frankie explained. He noticed that although Zach still seemed a bit drunk, he was no longer pale and shaky.

            Zach sighed, looked down, and shook his head, “So I blew it.” He looked back up at Frankie, “I know you think it is silly that I believe in fortune cookies and it probably is, but I can’t help it! I know they are mass produced in a factory somewhere and delivered to the restaurant and some server just randomly picks a few and brings them to the table. It’s just…when I get one, I always feel like…” he paused and collected his thoughts. “I feel like it was destined to be given to me.”

            Frankie thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, well I believe in destiny too so maybe I understand a bit better why you trust the cookies so much now. But, really…don’t you think that meeting the love of your life would be…I don’t know…more meaningful? More memorable? You said you thought nothing about crashing into her until you re-read your fortune. And you can’t even remember what she looks like. I would think there would be, at the bare minimum, some kind of spark. Was there?”

            Zach ran a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, there was nothing. So all of this was a fool’s errand, wasn’t it?”

            “Not necessarily. What is meant to be, will be. That’s how destiny works,” Frankie assured him.

            Zach nodded and took the Advil that Frankie had offered him earlier and washed them down with the rest of his water. “I don’t feel sick anymore. I’m going to call my friends and have them come back and pick me up. I really am sorry to have bothered you.”

            They went back into the living room and Frankie settled into his favorite chair. He propped his feet up on his ottoman and adjusted his robe to cover his legs. Zach took a seat on the sofa and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Killer scampered over and sat down next to Zach’s legs.

            Zach pushed the call button on his phone and then reached down and scratched Killer behind his ears. After a few moments he disconnected the call. “Troy didn’t answer. I’m going to call Robert.”

            He scrolled through his contacts and then hit the call button. He waited in silence for a bit and then hung up. “They said something earlier about hitting some clubs. They must not be able to hear their phones. I don’t know Benny’s number so I can’t call him. I guess I will have to call an uber.”

            Frankie’s grandfather clock began to play the tune in preparation of striking the hour and Zach looked up at it with a huge grin. Frankie got up from his chair and walked to the front door. He turned on his outside light and looked out the door. He waited until after the clock had stuck one o’clock before speaking. “I don’t think you are going to be able to make it home tonight. Looks like we got about 3 to 4 inches of snow in the last hour and it is still coming down hard.”

            Zach got up and hurried to the door to join Frankie. “I don’t understand! This wasn’t in the weather forecast! It was supposed to be dryer and warmer than usual this week!”

            Frankie shrugged, “I guess no one told the storm it wasn’t supposed to come.”

            Zach ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to do! How am I supposed to get home?”

            Frankie shut the door and turned to Zach. “You’re not. At least not tonight. I have a list of errands I have to do in the morning. By that time, maybe the storm will be over and the plows will have been around and I can take you home. You are welcome to use my couch and we will figure out the rest in the morning.”

            “No, I can’t stay here! I have already caused you enough problems,” Zach refused.

            “There’s not much we can do about it now,” Frankie said as he turned and made his way to his bedroom. He came back carrying a spare pillow and some blankets. He stopped by the kitchen and retrieved a bucket. When he returned to the living room he found that Zach had finally removed his jacket and had laid it on the arm of a chair.

            Frankie placed the bucket down next to the couch. “If you feel like you have to throw up again, if you can’t make it to the bathroom, please use this and save my carpet.” He laid the pillow and the blankets on the end of the couch and then took Zach’s jacket off the arm of the chair and hung it on the coat rack beside the front door. “Do you want me to turn off the fireplace and the tree lights?”

            “No!” Zach exclaimed. He was sitting on the edge of the couch with Killer sitting on the floor next to him. Zach was bent down, preparing to untie his shoes. “I like them! Feels homey and nice.”

            Frankie nodded, “Well, goodnight then. There are more bottles of water in the refrigerator if you want some. Come on, Killer! Time for bed!”

            The little dog jumped up and ran to Frankie. They started out of the room when Frankie turned back around. “Something has been puzzling me. Why were you that desperate to find the love of your life? I know that you trusted the cookie, but you really went out of your way to make it come true.”

            Zach pulled off one of his shoes and put it on the floor next to the couch before he looked up to meet Frankie’s eyes. “I hate dating. I mean, I _really_ hate it. I thought if I found the right one for me, then I wouldn’t have to do it anymore.”

            Frankie laughed, “Yes you would! Established couples go out all the time together. And I can’t imagine why you hate dating so much.”

            Zach was bent down, in the process of removing his other shoe. “I don’t know. I just don’t like girls.” He rose up quickly, his face turning bright red, “I…I mean…I don’t like talking to girls. No…that’s not what I mean. I mean, I’m just not interested in most things that girls like to talk about.” Zach shook his head, his face turning even redder. “I don’t know how to explain what I mean.”

            Frankie nodded and gave him a small smile, “You don’t have to, I understand.” Frankie saw that Killer had sneaked back and was sitting on the floor next to Zach’s feet. “Killer, come! It’s night-night time!”

            Killer beat Frankie into the bedroom. He hopped into his little bed, circled it three times, and then settled down for the night. Frankie slid back into his bed and checked to make sure he had remembered to set his alarm when he had gone to bed earlier. Seeing that he had, he curled up on his side and was soon fast asleep.

            In the morning when the alarm rang, Frankie reached over and shut it off. He felt like he had just gone to bed. He sat up and stretched. “Time to wake up, Kill…”. He stopped with a start when he saw that Killer was not still asleep in his little bed. There had never been a morning when he wasn’t.

            Frankie jumped up, grabbed his robe, and hurriedly set off to search for Killer. He stopped short when he entered the living room. He had forgotten the events of the previous evening and seeing Zach asleep on the couch brought it all back. Zach was asleep on his side, facing away from the door. A pair of black eyes set in a white, furry face peeked out at Frankie from where he was laying on the other side of the couch, near Zach’s knees, before silently slipping out of sight. Killer was not allowed on the furniture and he knew it.

            Frankie felt annoyed but he shrugged it off. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he would be rid of his unexpected house guest and then things would go back to normal. He opened the front door and looked out at the street. The snow had stopped and the plows and salt trucks had been by. The road looked almost clean. He knew if they looked this good in his little neighborhood, then the main roads would be totally problem free.

            He went to the kitchen and started the coffee before he went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

            After he was fresh and dressed for the day, he gathered up some items from the closet in the bathroom and laid them out next to the sink. He went to the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee and took them into the living room.

            “Zach?” he called as he stood next to the couch. “Zach, it’s morning. I have coffee.”

            Zach moaned and rolled over. He opened his eyes and looked at Frankie with a frown. He looked around the room and then back at Frankie and smiled. “I thought I dreamed being here.” He sat up and took the cup of coffee from Frankie’s hand.

            “Nope, it was no dream. I didn’t know how you take your coffee, so that’s black.” Frankie sat down in his chair. Killer jumped down from the couch and ran swiftly to the bedroom.

            Zach laughed, “What was that all about?”

            “He’s not allowed on the furniture. I am sure he is expecting to be scolded,” Frankie answered.

            “Are you going to scold him,” Zach asked with a slight frown.

            “No. Not this time. We have never had an overnight guest before so he didn’t know how to behave,” Frankie answered.

            Zach sipped from his cup before remarking, “So, I am your first overnight guest. I’m honored.”

            Frankie gave a slight toss of his head, “I should have phrased it as ‘first overnight guest that has slept on the couch’.”

            Zach looked away from Frankie’s gaze with a slight frown. “Well, yeah. That makes sense. Man, my head is exploding.”

            Frankie put his cup down on the little table next to his chair and got up. “I will get you some Advil and a bottle of water. I probably should have brought that instead of the coffee. I have laid some stuff out for you to use in the bathroom to freshen up before I take you home. Wash cloth, a spare tooth brush I had, toothpaste…”

            “You have a spare toothbrush?!!! I would have killed for that last night!” Zach said with a laugh.

            Frankie laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t think about it then.”

            He went to the kitchen and got the Advil and water and brought them back to Zach, who took them gratefully. Zach got up from the couch and folded the blanket he had used and then went to the bathroom to freshen up.

            Frankie went outside and shoveled a path to the car. He started the car to let it heat up and then cleaned the snow off the outside of it. By the time he had finished and returned to the house, Zach was finished in the bathroom and had returned to the living room. He and Killer were on the floor playing together.

            “I’m ready whenever you are,” Frankie said. “Come, Killer. We’re going bye-bye!” Killer ran over and Frankie scooped him up in his arms.

            Zach grabbed his coat and was pulling it on when the grandfather clock started playing the tune to alert that the hour was about to be announced. Zach stopped and listened with a grin.

            Frankie waiting until the clock had stopped before speaking, “You really love that, don’t you?”

            Zach nodded. “I have only seen clocks like this in old movies. I didn’t know people still had them in their homes. Seeing it in person is so much better than on an old movie.”

            “You should get one. They are still around. You could probably find one for sale online,” Frankie suggested.

            Zach nodded, “I think I will. Not now though. I have three roommates and I wouldn’t want to bring something this nice into that mess!”

            Frankie held the door and Zach walked out and recoiled from pain as the light from the sun bounced off the newly-fallen snow and hit him in the eyes. Frankie pulled off his sunglasses and handed them to Zach. “Here, take these. Hangover headaches are the worst!”

            Zach took the sunglasses from Frankie and put them on with gratitude. “But what about you? This glare is awful. You will need them to drive.”

            “It’s okay. I have a spare pair in the car.”

            Frankie opened the rear car door and placed Killer in the back seat. He got in on the driver’s side and Zach entered the passenger side. Frankie grabbed the spare sunglasses from the console and put them on. No sooner had he moved his hand then Killer jumped from the backseat onto the console and then onto Zach’s lap.

            “Hey! What’s this? You know you always ride in the back!” Frankie scolded.

            “It’s okay with me if he sits on my lap,” Zach interjected. “If it is okay with you, that is.”

            Frankie took a deep breath to quell his annoyance and then nodded. “It’s fine.”

            “Does he need to go for a walk or something? I could take him,” Zach offered.

            Frankie put the car into gear and slowly pulled away from the curb. “No, he is a pee-pad kind of guy. This type of dog is very smart but very difficult to housebreak. I knew that before I got him so I saved myself a lot of stress. He does very well with the pad so I deal with it.”

            As they started out, Zach named the area that he lived, which was far on the other side of town. Zach laughed, “Now you can understand why I didn’t offer to just walk home last night.”

            Frankie nodded, “I do. In your condition, and as hard as it was snowing, you never would have made it.”

            They traveled in silence for a bit and then Zach reached over and turned on Frankie’s radio. “Do you mind?” he asked.

            “No! I love music when I’m driving, and even when I’m not!” Frankie said with a smile. “I just didn’t turn it on because I didn’t know if your head could deal with it.”

            Frankie’s radio was set for a station that played pop music. Zach had turned it on right at the end of a song. The station was mixing in its regular music with Christmas songs. The next song that came on was Mariah Carey’s version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.

            “This is my favorite Christmas song! I am Jewish, so that is saying a lot!” Zach said with a laugh.

            “It’s my favorite too!” Frankie answered with a huge smile.

            The two of them sang along with the song on the radio, while Killer kept time to the music with the swishing of his tail. Or so it appeared. There was no denying that he was having the time of his life, riding in the front seat on Zach’s lap, as the two men sang loudly with the radio.

            As the song came to an end, Zach leaned over and turned down the music. “There is a Kroger store coming up a few blocks on the right. You can drop me off there. I need to pick up a few things and my place is pretty close. I can walk home.”

            “No, it’s okay. We can wait in the car for you while you shop and then drive you the rest of the way home,” Frankie argued.

            “No Frankie. You have already done too much! And I really think the walk will do me some good. Help me clear my head before I have to face my roommates. They’re great guys but messy and loud.”

            Frankie got into the lane to turn off the road and into Kroger’s parking lot. “Are you sure? It’s really not a problem.”

            Zach nodded, “I’m sure.”

            Frankie pulled up in front of the store. Zach reached for the door handle and then stopped. “Frankie I don’t know what possessed you to let me in last night, but I want you to know that I am grateful that you did.”

            “I didn’t actually let you in. You kind of came in on your own,” Frankie answered with a laugh.

            “Oh God. I’m sorry. What an asshole thing to do. I swear—I am usually not like that!”

            Frankie nodded, “I know.” He gave a slight shrug, “I can tell.” He reached over and scooped Killer off Zach’s lap.

            “Well…” Zach said, looking at the store, “I need to be going and let the two of you get on with your day.” He looked at Killer in Frankie’s arms. “I’m going to miss you,” he said and reached out to give Killer one last scratch behind his ear. Then he opened the door and got out. As soon as the car door shut, Frankie released Killer from his arms. Killer scampered across the seat and looked out the passenger side window. He whined when he saw Zach enter the store.

            “I know,” Frankie said soothingly as he pressed down on the gas pedal and moved away from the store. “You really liked him, didn’t you, boy?” The dog circled the seat a few times and then lay down, his head facing Frankie. He lowered his chin on his front paws and looked up at Frankie, the picture of utter misery.

            “We have lots of errands to run and then we have to get home and get ready for our party tonight!” Frankie said with forced enthusiasm. “All of our friends are coming and it is going to be so much fun!” Killer made a noise in his throat that sounded like disgust. Frankie smile slightly at the sound. The truth was, Killer was a friendly dog, but he wasn’t really fond of Frankie’s friends. At least not to the extent of how he had been with Zach. Until last night when he met Zach, the only person Killer really seemed to enjoy was Frankie.

            “And tomorrow, you and I are going on an airplane to spend the holidays with our family. Won’t that be fun?!!! I know I am looking forward to it!” Frankie looked at Killer and watched him close his eyes. He knew that Killer didn’t understand what he was saying but Frankie found his reaction amusing. Killer hated airplanes.

            That night, Frankie’s party was a rousing success. Friends, food, gifts, and games, with lots of music and dancing—everything one could hope for in a holiday party.

            Killer came out of the bedroom and greeted everyone, but as soon as the food was put away and the games began, he headed back into the bedroom.

            To be considerate of the neighbors, the party began to wind down a bit after 11. People started to trickle out. Someone switched the music from the party playlist to the holiday one. Frankie was at the door, saying goodnight to a couple of guests, when he heard Mariah Carey’s voice began to sing “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. The few remaining guests were sitting in the living room, chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to him, so he crept down the hall and into his bedroom. Killer’s head popped up from his little bed and his tail began to wag at the sight of him. Frankie sat down on the floor and pull Killer into his lap. He softly sang the song along with Mariah while petting Killer.

            His oldest and closest friend, Graham, stuck his head in the door. “There you are! Everybody is heading out now; they wanted to say their goodbyes to you.”

            Frankie put Killer back into his bed and hurried out to his guests. Graham stayed behind after everyone left to help Frankie clean up. Frankie shut off the music and they chatted about Frankie’s trip home the next day as they worked.

            “So, you’re sure you don’t need me to help with anything?” Graham had a stack of plastic cups in his hand and was headed towards the kitchen with them.

            “No, thanks for offering though. I have everything packed already and I am driving me and Killer to the airport. Annie from next door is going to collect the mail for me while I’m gone, so everything is handled.” Frankie said as he was putting pieces from a board game they had played back into its box. The grandfather clock played the tune to announce the striking of the hour. Frankie stopped and looked up at the clock as it rang out the twelve notes announcing it was midnight.

            Frankie couldn’t help but remember the night before; watching the joy on Zach’s face as he heard the clock for the first time. At the time Frankie had viewed him as a stranger—an interloper who had invaded his home. He sighed.

            “Frankie, what is it?” Graham said from his seat on the couch. Frankie startled a bit seeing him there. He hadn’t noticed him come back into the room.

            “What?” Frankie asked in confusion.

            “Something’s not right. I’ve seen it all evening and I think others saw it too. You’re not really here—you’re somewhere else.”

            Frankie laughed, “I’m here! See,” he said, waving his arms over his head, “This is me!”

            “That’s not what I meant. Do you realize you didn’t win one game tonight? And you didn’t even seem to care about losing?!!! Then, when it was time for your last guests to leave, no one could find you anywhere. Finally I found you in your room, rocking your dog in your arms, singing a Christmas song to him. And now you are staring at your clock and sighing. What’s going on?”

            Frankie shrugged, “It’s nothing really, just…” he sighed, “I don’t know. Something odd happened last night.” He closed the game box and got up from the floor where he had been sitting and replaced the game on the shelf with the others. He walked over to the couch and took a seat at the opposite end from Graham. “I don’t even know where to start!”

            “I find that the beginning is often a good place to start,” Graham quipped.

            Frankie smiled and looked down at his hands, “Okay, it started close to midnight last night…” Frankie began. He told the entire story to Graham who kept quiet and listened to Frankie’s tale. “…and I dropped him off at the grocery store, and that’s all. The end.” Frankie finished.

            Graham shook his head. “Anybody else would have called the police but you invite the guy to spend the night! You do realize how crazy this all sounds, right?”

            “Yeah, but…I don’t know…he didn’t seem to be a threat in any way, and Killer loved him!” Frankie defended.

            “Killer tolerates people, he doesn’t love anybody but you,” Graham corrected.

            “No, I know! That’s why it seemed right to let Zach stay.”

            “I still say this story is insane. You don’t know this guy’s last name, his phone number, or even where he lives! You realize he could have been casing the place and is planning on coming back and stealing everything you own once you leave town, right?”

            Frankie looked up at the grandfather clock. “That’s the only thing he was interested in and it took you and me forever to get it in here. Besides, I didn’t tell him I was leaving town for the holidays. And I just don’t think he was a bad guy. I really don’t.”

            “Well, I will promise you this…when I meet him, I won’t call him a drunken kook with a cookie fetish, okay?” Graham said, getting up from the couch and walking to the coat rack.

            Frankie laughed, “I don’t think you will ever have the chance to meet him. Like you pointed out, I have no way to get in touch with him, even if I wanted to. And I am not saying that I want to!”

            Graham shrugged and grinned. “Okay.”

            “Stop!” Frankie said with a laugh, “It wasn’t like that, whatever you are thinking.”

            Graham smirked and then nodded, “Whatever you say. But meanwhile, I hope you have a great time with your family! Call me when you get back and we’ll grab lunch, my treat since I didn’t get you anything for Christmas.”

            Frankie did have a great time with his family. They all believed in the magic of the season and their home held a constant stream of visitors, coming and going—extended family members and dozens of friends. They did all the traditional activities—from decorating the tree and baking Christmas cookies, to skiing, sledding, and snowman building. One night, while they were roasting chestnuts on the fire, some of the younger members of the party decided to decorate Killer. He was covered from head to foot in bows, ribbons, and tinsel. He made the rounds of everyone in the house so they could all admire his beauty. Frankie took dozens of pictures of him before removing his finery. Finally though, Christmas had passed and the New Year had arrived and it was time to go back home.

            Frankie took the red-eye flight back to save a bit of money. He and Killer arrived back to their apartment shortly before noon. Killer was happy to be home and showed his joy by sprinting around the apartment, stopping only occasionally to sniff around at some interesting smell or another on the carpet before zooming off again.

            Frankie was exhausted from the trip. He left his bag in the entryway, telling himself he would unpack ‘soon’. He walked into his living room and turned on the lights to his Christmas tree. He turned on his fireplace and lit some of his Christmas-scented candles. He told himself he would have to take all this stuff down and pack it away, but he decided he would enjoy them for one more day.

            He took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack and settled down in his favorite chair with a contented sigh. He felt a bit hungry and tried to remember what he had in the house to eat. He knew he would need milk and bread but he didn’t feel like going back out. Maybe after he rested a bit, he thought. Or perhaps he would just call and order something.

            He picked up his remote and turned on the TV. He selected Netflix and began to scroll through their selections. He decided he would call and order in some food and eat it while watching a movie or something.

            He saw a series that was offered that he had never watched. It already had three seasons listed and they were going to add a fourth season soon. He had been hearing about it for ages and it was extremely popular. He decided maybe he would finally give it a shot.

            His doorbell rang and Killer came running at full speed to the door, barking all the way.

            “Calm down, Killer! It’s just Annie with our mail. If you greet her like that, she won’t ever help us again,” Frankie scolded as he picked the little dog up and opened the door.

            But it wasn’t Annie standing there, it was Zach. Killer began squirming around with joy, his wildly wagging tail thumping Frankie hard on the back.

            “Zach?” Frankie asked in surprise.

            “Hi Frankie! Hi Killer!” he said, taking the dog from Frankie’s arms to give him a good behind-the-ear scratch. “Did you have a nice vacation?”

            “How did you know…” Frankie began.

            “I’ve came here every day,” Zach answered. “I brought back your sunglasses.”

            “Uh…sorry, I’ve forgotten my manners. Would you like to come in?”

            “Sure!” Zach said and walked past Frankie. He sat Killer down on the floor and took off his coat and hung it next to Frankie’s on the coat rack. He reached inside the pocket of his coat and pulled out something that he kept hidden in his hand. Killer was dancing around by Zach’s feet, trying to get his attention.

            Frankie walked by them and settled back in his chair. He could see that Zach was grinning at Killer and Frankie suspected that he had something special for the dog hidden in his hand. Frankie smiled at the sight.

            Zach dropped down to one knee. “I heard that you have been a very good boy this year and that you deserved a present. Is that true?”

            Killer ran around in a circle and Zach laughed. “I think that is a yes!” He shook his hand and a bell tinkled. Frankie smiled as Killer stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed at Zach’s hand. Zach opened his fingers and displayed a pink ball with blue stripes. He gave it a little shake and the bell tinkled again. Killer’s entire hindquarters were swaying back and forth by the force of his wagging tail. “Do you want it?” Zach teased. “Go get it!” He gave it a little toss and the ball soared for a few feet before striking the ground and rolling down the hall. Killer went streaking out of the room after it.

            Zach laughed and rose to his feet. He pulled the sunglasses from his shirt pocket and walked over and handed them to Frankie. “I’m sorry that I had these so long. I didn’t even realize it until I got home that day. I came back the next afternoon to return them but you weren’t home.”

            Frankie placed the sunglasses on the little table next to him. “You really didn’t need to bother.”

            Zach shrugged, “Well, I wanted to bring Killer his present anyway, so…”

            The grandfather clock began to play its tune and Zach’s attention was drawn to it. It struck the hour with twelve chimes. Zach grinned at it and looked at Frankie, “Twelve. Just like the first time I heard it. Have you thought about it? Are you going to keep the clock?”

            Frankie grinned at him, “I think I have to, don’t you?”

            Zach grinned and turned away, “I hope you will.”

            Killer brought the ball back into the living room and Zach rattled it and played with Killer for a few minutes before again tossing it down the hall. When Killer went running after it, Zach took a moment to look around the room. “You know, when I thought about this place, I thought I imagined how nice it was here. But I didn’t. It is exactly how I remembered it.” He noticed the TV was on, “Am I interrupting your show?”

            “No, I hadn’t started watching yet. I just got in and was thinking about calling and ordering something to eat before I did.” Frankie explained.

            “Well…that is another reason why I came by. I wanted to know if you would let me buy you lunch or something. You know, as a ‘thank you’ for letting me stay here that night.”

            “That’s really nice, but not necessary…”

            “I want to though! Look,” Zach said, hurrying over to his coat and pulling out a folded piece of paper, “I have a menu for the Chinese restaurant I told you about. Do you like Chinese food?”

            “I love it,” Frankie said, taking the menu from Zach.

            “They don’t deliver, but they have take-out. If you are too tired to go out, I could go and pick it up and we could eat here!”

            “That would actually be kind of perfect,” Frankie said. “But how do you just happen to have a menu in your pocket?”

            “I picked it up on my way here the day I realized you were gone. I was hoping to take you out then. I mean…you know, uh…to thank you. I thought you might like to know what they had on their menu so I picked it up. I have been carrying it in my pocket since then.” Zach shifted around and his attention went back to the TV. “Do you like that series?”

            Frankie looked up from the menu and realized Zach was speaking about the program he had been thinking about before Zach arrived. “I don’t know. I’ve never watched it before. I’ve heard good things about it though. I thought I might start it. Do you like it?”

            “I’ve never watched it either. It’s kind of crazy at my house with my roommates. So you’re on Season 1, episode 1. I have an idea! Since you haven’t seen it and I haven’t seen it, we could be marathon buddies!” Zach said excitedly.

            “What is a ‘marathon buddy’?” Frankie asked.

            Zach laughed. “It’s what it sounds like! We will watch it together and we have to swear not to watch ahead—only watch the episodes together. Do you want to?”

            Frankie grinned and nodded. “Sounds like fun. You do realize that there are already forty-five episodes listed and fifteen more will be added in a few weeks, right? That’s a lot of marathoning.”

            Zach nodded, “Yeah, I know. So can we be marathon buddies?”

            “Sure,” Frankie said, extending his hand. “No watching ahead, only with each other.”

            Zach smiled and shook Frankie’s hand. There was a tiny snap sound when their hands touched and they produced a spark. They laughed, dropped their hands, and then quickly looked away from each other.

            “The air is dry in here. Every time I touch something I get shocked. I probably need to buy a humidifier,” Frankie said in a rush. “But I know what I want now. I mean, for lunch.”

            Zach didn’t look at Frankie, just pulled out his phone and opened the note section. “Tell me whatever you want and I’ll give it to you…buy it for you…I mean. Lunch is on me.”

            Frankie gave Zach his order and Zach entered it into his notes. “You know,” Zach said, “I think I will run by the grocery store and pick up some snack stuff too, for later. Is there anything special you want?”

            “No, I’m pretty easy to please,” Frankie said.

            “You’ve been gone for a while. Anything you would like me to pick up while I’m there?”

            “Well…if you don’t mind, I really could use some bread and some soy milk,” Frankie said, sitting up to pull his wallet out.

            Zach waved it away, “I can get it for you. But you have to explain to me how the farmers milk the soy beans.”

            “They use tiny pails and sit on teeny little stools,” Frankie said with a smirk.

            Zach nodded with a grin, “Yep that is exactly how I imagined it. I’ve never bought it before. Maybe we should exchange phone numbers in case I get confused or if you decide you want something else.”

            Frankie got out his phone and they traded numbers. Killer brought the ball back so Zach sat down and played with him for a few moments. “I am going to go get some food but I will be back. And when I come back, I might have a treat for you too, if you are a good boy!” He said to Killer as they played.

            “Uh…I don’t really like to give him treats,” Frankie objected.

            “Yeah, I figured. That’s what makes it a treat!”

            Frankie scoffed and shook his head with a grin. “Fine!”

            Zach tossed the ball and Killer ran after it. Zach got up and hurried over to pull on his coat. Killer ran back into the room, dropped his ball at Zach’s feet, and then whined. “I’m coming back; I promise! And I will hurry so I won’t be gone long at all!”

            Frankie picked up Killer and they walked to the door with Zach. Zach stopped before he reached it. “Uh…Frankie? Would you loan me your sunglasses? I just realized that I wore yours here and mine are at home.”

            Frankie grinned and went to the table and got them. “Here, you keep them. A little gift from me and Killer.”

            Zach put them on and turned away to try to hide the grin that spread across his face at the words. “Well…I’ll be back! Don’t start the marathon without me!” he said as he hurried out the door.

            “I won’t!” Frankie called and turned to shut the door. He turned back and yelled at Zach’s retreating back, “Hey! Are you going to order fortune cookies?”

            Zach had reached his car by that time. He turned around and laughed, “Of course!”

            “Do you still believe?” Frankie asked.

            Frankie could see Zach fighting to keep the grin from spreading across his face and the blush from staining his cheeks. Zach looked away for a second and gave a small giggle. He turned back and looked at Frankie, “Yes, I still believe! I told you before, cookies don’t lie!” He hopped into his car and gave a little wave before driving away.

            Frankie shut the door with a grin on his face. He bent to lower Killer to the floor and then stopped himself. He walked over to the chair and sat down with Killer still in his arms. “I know—it is against the rules for you to be on furniture. But since Zach is going to be coming around here from now on, I figure he is going to let you. Two against one; I lose. I might as well surrender now.” Killer licked Frankie’s cheek and then looked towards the door. “You miss him already, don’t you? Do you want to know a secret? I do too.”

            Frankie’s phone rang and he reached over and picked it up from the table next to his chair. He looked at the name of the caller and saw that it was just as he had entered it a very short time before. It said “Zach” and it had a tiny emoji of a fortune cookie next to his name. Frankie grinned at Killer and said, “I think he misses us already too!”


End file.
